Coding school Covalence expands to Nashville

Coding bootcamp Covalence, based in Birmingham, is expanding to Nashville as a similar program, Iron Yard, closes its operations.

Covalence is partnering with Refinery Nashville, a business center and coworking space to help prepare junior developers for technology jobs. Software developers are in high demand in Nashville and nationwide.

“Covalence is focusing its expansion on cities that have high growth potential in the tech industry,” Covalence officials said in a statement. “Nashville was the perfect choice due to its great deal of technical potential and a need for a larger technical workforce.”

Covalence programs are underway in Chattanooga, Fort Lauderdale and Birmingham.

The first Nashville class will begin Oct. 2, and Covalance has begun accepting applications. Students will gain experience with several languages, including JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and SQL, and do not need prior software development experience, according to the school.

"With the growing demand for coding skills in today's job market, we believe Covalence has the ability to help close that gap and build talent for our city," said Refinery Nashville founder Trevor Burbank. "They have successfully shown an impressive commitment to their students in preparing them with full stack development training and then securing them with jobs upon graduation."

Iron Yard, based in South Carolina, opened in Nashville in 2015, as the second coding program in Nashville. The Nashville Software School, a nonprofit, was created in 2012 by entrepreneur John Wark and other Nashville software leaders, and offers full-time and part-time programs.

Iron Yard recently announced its closure on its website, saying it would finish summer classes before ceasing operations.

“The industry as a whole is still young and its leaders face the challenge of a nascent market, as well as the demands facing all institutions in the higher education marketplace,” Iron Yard officials wrote.